Bathroom fixture



May l1, 1943. G. TILLMAN 2,319,017

BATHROOM FIXTURE Filed Dec. 18, 1941 Patented May 11, 1943 UNHED los BATHROOM FIXTURE George Tillman, Kingsville, Tex.

Application December 18, 1941, Serial No. 423,528

1 Claim.

This invention relates to bathroom fixtures and particularly to a combined hand grip and towel rack for use in connection with bath tubs.

Many accidents and injuries to persons have been caused by persons slipping and striking their heads and other portions of their bodies against a bath tub when standing up within or when moving within or getting in and out of the tub, since the parts of the tub itself, especially when wet and soapy, do not afford surfaces allowing a secure grip for support to be obtained when a person is getting in or out or moving around in the tub'.

Devices, in the form of wall or tub attachhimself when getting in or out of the tub or moving around in the= tub, have heretofore been proposed, but .all of these, so far as I am aware, have been of awkward and inconvenient. character in interfering with free movements of the bather or with the manipulation of faucets, shower attachment or other appliances, or otherwise objectionable, thus rendering them unsuitable for practical use. made attachable to walls, have been of-insecure type and objectionable because of the weight and strains falling thereon tending to cause them to separate from wall tiles to which they are attached or to break or pull the tiles free from the walls.

One object of my invention is to provide a hand grip attachment which is free from these objections .and adapted to be disposed so as to allow a bather to rmly support himself When raising or lowering himself in the tub, standing in the tub or getting into and out of the tub.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive, yet ornamental, type of hand grip which will not be in the way of manipulating faucets or other bath appliances or in the way of a person moving about the tub, and which may be furnished and installed at a comparativelyv low cost.

Still another object oi the invention is to provide a hand grip which may be applied to bathroom walls, and braced from the tub in such manner as to relieve the fastening attachments from strain and prevent the same from separating from or causing damage to wall tiles.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an appliance oi this character which will serve las a towel rack or support for other bathing paraphernalia.

With these and other objects in view, the

Such devices, when invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of, parts, hereinafter fully described and claimed, and as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is` a perspective view of a portion of a bath tub and walls of a bathroom, yshowing the application of the invention thereto.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail section through the lower end of the supporting post showing a form of abutment for engagement with the rim of a fiatrimmed tub.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a form of abutment for engagementA with the rim of a rolled-rim tub.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, I designates a bath tub of anyordinary or conventional type and 2 and 3 walls of a bathroom in which the tub is contained. The-tub, a portion only of which is illustrated, is shown with one of its sides 4 facing `inwardly and arranged adjacent to and parallel with the wall 2 and with its other side 5 facing outwardly or toward the free occupancy space in the bathroom. The end 6 of the tub which isv illustrated is arranged adjacent to and parallel with the room wallv 3. The tub may be of a type having at iiat rim l, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, or of a type having a rolled rim la, as shown in Fig. 4.

The fixture, or combined hand grip and towel rack, comprises a group of radially arranged members 8, 9 and l. The members 8 and 9 are arranged horizontally and substantially at right angles to each other above one end of the tub, while the member i9 is vertically disposed and projects downwardly from the members 8 and v9 so as to be supported from ther tub.

Preferably the members 8, 9 and lil are made of semi-rigid and inflexible material, such as metal, and they may either be solid or tubular. For convenience, and for the purpose of securing economy of manufacture, the members 8, 9 and I0 may be made of metal tubes or pipes of the desired length or lengths, but they may be made of solid rods or bars and of circular or any other desired cross-sectional form.

The fixture is preferably disposed, as shown, adjacent to and above one end of the tub, with the member 8 extending transversely of the tub and the member 9 extending longitudinally of the tub above and in alinement with the rim 'l of the outer wall 5. These members 8 and 9 have relatively inner ends which are united to each other and to the member I by a coupling II. The other or relatively outer ends of the members 8 and 9 are secured to the walls 2 and 3, as by means of brackets I2 and I3, respectively, which are secured to the walls by means of suitable fastenings I4. Preferably the coupling II and brackets I 2 are provided with threaded sockets to receive the ends of the members 8, 9 and Il) which are suitably threaded to engage the sockets.

The member 8 provides a transversely disposed hand grip and the member 9 a longitudinally disposed hand grip which may be grasped by a bather to support himself when entering or leaving the tub, standing therein or moving therearound. The member 8 and 9 also serve as racks for supporting towels or other desired or commonly used bathroom paraphernalia. The member I0 serves in conjunction with the brackets I2 as a means for supporting the xture firmly and securely in position against sagging or displacement under the pressure or weight of the person gripping and using the same as a support. In particular, the member ID serves as a strain sustaining member or supporting post which prevents the fixture from moving downwardly under the pressure or weight of the person supported, so as to prevent the person from slipping and to prevent undue pull upon or loosening of the fastenings I4 or possibility of the brackets I2 and I3 coming loose from the walls to which they are attached. This supporting action is of great importance and advantage where the brackets I 2 and I3 are secured to tiled walls in preventing the tiles to which the brackets are fastened from becoming loose or torn away under pressure falling upon the xture.

The fixture may, in practice, be of plain type or any desired ornamental type. The coupling II and brackets I2 may be of other than the forms shown, and of any desired ornamental shape or form, so that the fixture will present a pleasing and attractive appearance. The parts of the fixture may also be nickel plated or chromium plated or plated with a precious metal, or painted, enameled or otherwise coated to suit the taste or fancy of the manufacturer or user.

The xture is preferably arranged as shown adjacent one end of the tub so that it may be firmly and securely mounted in position, such as in the manner disclosed, and at the same time be disposed at a point for convenient use and so as not to interfere with the free movements of a bather within the tub or others working in the room or about the tub. By this arrangement of the fixture it will also be disposed so that it will not interfere with free access to and manipulation of faucets, or a shower attachment or other tub fixture. It will, of course, be understood that the fixture may be arranged above either the head or foot end of the tub and its parts 8 and 9 secured to walls or other supports as may be found most convenient in service and as may be required by the particular construction of the bathroom in which the tub is contained.

In practice, the supporting post or member I0 may be secured at its lower end to the rim of the tub, but is preferably simply mounted to rest thereon. Where the tub has a flat rim, such as the rim 'I, the post may be provided at its lower end with an abutment I5 of rubber or other equivalent material secured by a screw or other fastening member I6 to a plug II threaded into the lower end of the post. Where the tub is provided with a rolled rim, as shown in Fig. 4, an abutment I8 of metal, rubber or other suitable material and of saddle shape to straddle the rim may be provided and secured by a fastening screw or member I9 to a plug 2o threaded within the lower end of the post. Any other suitable means for mounting the post upon or attaching it to the rim of the tub may, however, be employed.

A particular advantage of my novel construc tion of combined hand grip and rack fixture is that it provides one which is simple of construction, capable of being manufactured and installed at a low cost, Where required, but which at the same time, if desired, may be made of a highly ornamental and attractive form. A further advantage of this fixture is that, as stated, it may be arranged at a point where it can be firmly supported and positioned at a proper elevation to allow it to be gripped to assist a person in getting into or out of the tub or to enable him to support himself against slipping while standing or moving about the tub. The construction described adapts the device to be mounted where it will not be in the way of free movement of the bather or other persons working in or about the tub, or interfere in any manner with the free operation of faucets or other bathing appliances of various characters. The manner in which the fixture is supported from the wall and the tub itself adapts the xture to be arranged at a convenient elevation for use, while preventing it from straining the wall fastenings or causing damage to or breaking away of tiles or other portions of the wall surfaces.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawing, the construction, mode of operation and advantages of my improved bathroom fixture will be readily understood without a further and extended description. While the structure shown is preferred, it will, of course, be understood that changes in the form, proportion and arrangement of parts may be made, within the scope of the appended claim without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

A hand grip and towel support for bath tubs comprising a vertically disposed member adapted to be supported at its lower end upon the rim of the tub adjacent to one end of the latter, and a pair of horizontally disposed members each secured at one end to the upper end of the rstnamed member and extending therefrom at an angle to each other and provided with means for attachment at their free ends to angularly related walls of a room in which the tub is contained.

GEORGE TILLMAN. 

